Box with tilting article support



Dec. 28, 1954 R. c. J. PALsoN 2,698,083

Box WITH TILTTNG ARTICLE SUPPORT Filed March 3. 1951 United StatesPatent() BOX WITH TILTING ARTICLE SUPPOR'II` Richard C. J. Palson,Needham, Mass., assignor to Farrington Manufacturing Company, Boston,Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 3, 1951, SerialNo. 213,732

Claims. (Cl. 206-45.13)

This invention relates to packaging and more particularly to thepackaging of jewelry such as watches, bracelets, cui links, otherarticles of personal adornmeut or other goods, in such manner that thecontained goods are automatically moved to an elevated position withrespect to the outer bottom of the box when the box is opened.

The invention has for a main object the production of anarticle-mounting assembly adapted for insertion in conventionaljewelry-type finished cases, the assembly being designed in such mannerthat anl article mounted on the assembly will be moved into a tilted,more accessible or more pleasing display position as the cover isopened. l

A further object of the invention is the provision of a displaybackground false bottom for the box which, simultaneously with themovement of the article-mounting support to tilted position is alsotilted into an inclined position.

While the tilting of both the article-mounting support and the falsebottom are about transverse axes substantially parallel to the hingedaxis of the cover and the base of the box, the tilting of the articlesupport takes place about an axis disposed adjacent the back of the boxso that the supported article swings in the same direction as the coverwhen the cover is opened although not so far, whereas the tilting of thefalse display background bottom takes place about an axis disposedadjacent the front of the box so that it swings in the oppositedirection lifting the back of the back ground. The combined motion isthus accordion-like.

The above and other objects of the invention will in part be more fullydescribed and in part be apparent from the following description of atypical embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a bracelet watch display box with its hingedcover in open position and the articlemounting support and backgroundplate in display position;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of Fig. 2 but with thebox closed; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail, with certaiin :,partsbroken away, taken along the line 4-4 of F g.

The box-forming elements of boxes of this invention may be of anyconventional kind comprising a hollow base and a hollow cover 12, eachhaving front, side and rear walls, and being hinged together along theirrear wall edges as at 14. As known in the art, the hinges may beprovided with C-springs 16 which act to limit the opening movement to anarc of approximately 90 and to provide a snap shutting action. Suchhinges form no part of this invention, being old and in commercial use.Any other form of equivalent stopping device may be substituted.

The base 10 is provided with an inner bottom 18 which may be ofcardboard, shaped to have a friction t with the walls of the base.Overlying this inner bottom is a background plate 202 preferably formedof metal, which has spaced hook-like extensions 22 (Fig. 3) extendingfrom its forward edge which are hooked around the forward edge of theinner bottom 18.

As shown in Fig. 1, the sides 23 of the background plate 20 are inclineddownwardly and provide, with a 2,698,083 Patented Dec. 28, 1954 ICC reardownwardly extending marginal portion 24 of the plate 20, a permanentinclination of the background plate upwardly towards the rear of thebox. The marginal portion 24 is provided centrally thereof and near itstop with an apertured slot 25, through which extend two spacedrear-attached hook-like tabs 26 of an ovalshaped article support 30. Thearticle support 30 and its extensions 26 are conveniently made of metalso that the hooks 26 will be permanently shaped, although the articlesupport may, if desired, be covered with a decorative surfacingmaterial, for example, velvet.

The cover 12 has permanently attached inside its top wall, as by rivets32, `for movement therewith, a curved sheet 34 of relatively stiibutresilient material, for example, spring metal, which extends, as shown,out of the cover 12 and through the slot 25 of marginal rear portion 24of plate 20 underneath the hook-like extensions 26. The parts assume theposition shown in Fig. 3 when the cover is closed.

However, as the cover is opened, the end of sheet metal 34 acts as alifting means, first engaging the ends of extensions` 26 to move themupwardly and pivot the article support 30 until the extensions 26 arelimited from further movement relative to the plate 20 by contacting theunder surface of the plate 20, whereupon continued opening motion of thecover will cause the lifting element 34 tobodily lift the rear portionof the background plate 20,'together with the article support Ball-intothe position shown in Fig. 2 with the background plate 20 hinging at its-front end relative to the inner bottom 18 and base 10.

In return closing `motion of the cover, the lifting extension 34 firstmoves downwardly whereupon the front end of the article support 30 movesby gravity down on to the plate 20 and then continued closing motion of`the cover permits the combined article support 30 and plate 20 to returnby gravity to a position where the downwardly extending rear portion 24and sides 23 of the plate 20 rest upon the inner bottom 18 in theposition shown in Fig. 3.

If desired, and as shown in Fig. 4, the extensions 26 may be so designedthat the dimension between their outer edges is slightly greater thanthe horizontal width of the slot 25; and the outer edges of theextensions 26 are then notched inwardly as at 40. In this manner, thelateral ears beyond the notches 40 become engaged inside of the rearmarginal wall 24 (shown broken away at the right in Fig. 4), so that thearticle support 30 is gripped in the slot to prevent its inadvertentdetachment from the background plate 20. The dimensions are such,however, that in assembling the device, the two extensions may be sprunginto the slot 25. It can be understood that the notches 40, though theythus act to retain the two parts together, do not interfere with thehingng action of the article support 30 relative to the background plate20 as a result of engagement of the lifting element 34 with theextensions 26 when the box cover 12 is moved to open position.

There has thus been provided an automatically lifting article displaysupport which has an accordion-like motion which is the resultant motionof the pivoting of the article support 30 at its rear relative to thebackground plate 20 followed by the reverse pivoting of the backgroundplate 20 about the inner bottom 18 In the embodiment shown, I haveillustrated certain relieved portions of the background plate 20. Whenthe background plate 20 is cloth-covered, this provides a depressedsection as shown at 50 which can accommodate the side of a watchpositioned on the article support 30.

I claim:

1. In a display box having a hollow base and a cover hingedly connectedto the back of said base, a background plate inside said base, saidplate having a downwardly extending rear marginal portion, ahorizontally disposed slot in said rear portion, an article supportabove said background plate, rear-attached hook-like extensions on saidsupport caught loosely in said slot to permit tilting movement of saidsupport relative to said plate about an axis disposed transversely ofsaid box, and lift ing means mounted on said cover, movable therewithandextending through said slot beneath said extensions for-moving 4theends of said extensions'upwardlyl against the under surface of saidplate to tilt said article support relative to said background platefrom a position with itsafront portioni lying/adjacent; said -iplate,to. aposition,- front-portion elevated above-.saidplate as .said

cove isl-,raised from closed to.open position relative downwardly.fextendil'igq4 realzattached extension on said suppoiitpandsubstantially ,rigidL/therewithf said extensions.

pivotally engaging saidplatetor'perrnit ttiltingtmovement.

of said support relativef-togsaid,platefabout an axis -disf posedtransversely tot' ysaidbox,y and, lifting means mounted on -saidcovenmovable ,therewithfandf extendingtbeneath said, extension forlengaging'-fandgpivotingsaid extension nrnt/ardly.,v Qigtiltg; said ;article support. relative to said Plgfrom axpsitionawith :itsfrontgportion, lying in.,a lowered;positionto; a ,position;with.itsfront portion in',

an elevated positionfas ,saidcoven isn-raised from ,closed to openpositlon relative to said base.

3.,.-In-a display, ,box havingga hollowbase and. a.l coverYhingedlyt'connected to g.the, ,back 1 of .f said ibase; a .backf lgroundgplatejnside,,said base, an'farticle (support ,abovesaidibagkground plat1 rear-attached .extensions .on said nsupport,engaging said plate Lto permit tilting movement of saidsupportrelatiye to said plate about any axis dise. posedtransverselyfsa1,d,box, ,Saidextensions extending o beneath said.plateVand;downwardly,and forwardly of said box whensaid covengisgingclosedepsitiomand lifting-:meansmounted 01;.said zcover, ,movable there-2.;,n1agdisplaybox'having ahol1owbas4e. and afcover,` hingedly.connected tor the back of f, said;A base,: a `platemounted inggsaid`box,: an ;-ar,ticle support 1in `said lboxyl` a wfithgand;extendingwbeneath said extensionssfor engaging. z

and lifting the forward ends of saidextensions upwardly towards theunder-surta@ :Ofqsaidrplate yto, tilt said article Supportrelative .to;said-plate.k fr omsa I:position with its tranne-portion; lyingadjacentsaidplateftoagposition with its ifrrgnt:portionelevatedabovesaid plate as fsaid cover.

4. A display box as claimed in claim 3, wherein the background plate-is^ hingedly supported at `its front" edge f in said base and whereinthelifting means lifts the forward ends of the article supportextensions upwardly against the under-surface of the plate to lift alsothe back of said plate as the cover is raised to open position.

5. A display box havingaa-hollow base and a cover hingedlyponnevctedrtothe back ofwsaid base, a background `plate hingedly `supported -at--itsfront yend insaid baseyanv article support lying-,over saidKplate,said support beinghingedlyfconnected lat its rear to said plate fortilting'movenient relative thereto and having means extending downwardlybelow said "plate, and relatively rigid meansxedly mounted on said coverand extending beneath said plate and article support for engaging saiddownwardly extending-means fto :tiltfthe l.front of said article supportand the back of said background plate upwardly accordion-fashionrelative to the bottom of saidgbase A,asisaidnoyer,iis;.raised. fromclosedy to open position relative to. said; base.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED "STATES `PATENT S e*

